RCMP arrested journalist in New Brunswick

Miles Howe covering hydraulic fracking protests on first nations land

A photo that allegedly shows Miles Howe in the back of an RCMP vehicle in Elsipogtog, NB. Photo: Twitter photo by Jorge Barrera

William Wolfe-Wylie

Published: July 4, 2013 - 2:33 PM

Updated: July 5, 2013 - 1:50 PM

RCMP placed a journalist in New Brunswick under arrest, apparently alleging that he was uttering death threats, on July 4. He was released later that day.

Miles Howe, freed late Thursday afternoon, is now alleging that the RCMP had offered him a job as a paid informant.

“The funny thing about this situation is that one week ago they were offering me money to inform for them and now they are charging me with an incident that allegedly occurred two weeks ago,” he told APTN News.

Howe faces charges of uttering threats and obstructing justice.

But some observers believe Howe, who has been reporting on energy and fracking in Atlantic Canada for some time, was arrested because he was asking too many uncomfortable questions. Reports also indicate that his camera was seized.

“His arrest is a clear effort to silence grassroots voices,” the Media Co-op, Howe’s employer, said in a release.

The arrest came as tensions in Atlantic Canada rise about hydraulic fracking, a process of extracting oil and gas from shale rock by injecting high-pressure water and chemicals into the ground before drilling. Documentary films, protest groups and government regulations have combined to boost paranoia about the energy extraction technique through the roof, despite assurances from energy companies that everything is safe.

But on Thursday afternoon, at a protest in Elsipogtog, NB, Howe became the 30th person arrested by RCMP at that site.

According to Jorge Barrera, a reporter with APTN who was on the scene, RCMP also seized Howe’s camera “as evidence.”

In a report for APTN, Barrera said the arrest was calm.

“Police arrested reporter Miles Howe Thursday afternoon after walking up to him and shaking his hand. They then told him he was under arrest for allegedly making death threats against an RCMP officer,” he wrote. Barrera also reported that Howe is being held at the Codiac RCMP detachment near Moncton.

Howe had been writing for the Halifax Media Co-op, part of a network of independent journalists who work across Canada. Two weeks ago, Howe was a photographer and reporter at the scene of an anti-fracking protest where several first nations people were arrested while blocking access to fracking sites.

Miles Howe

The day before his arrest, Howe reported from confidential sources that seismic testing would begin anew in Elsipogtog.

Protests over seismic explorations — a precursor to actual fracking or drilling — have become commonplace in many Atlantic Canada communities as concern over environmental damage and side-effects of the process rise. The fight for control of the conversation is becoming a major battle as activists fight energy companies on the public stage.

Dru Oja Jay (full disclosure: Dru has contributed to Canada.com in the past) is a founding member of The Dominion, a member of the media co-op, and has worked with Howe.

“Miles Howe has been tirelessly covering the Elsipogtog community’s stand against fracking on their land for the Halifax Media Co-op,” he said. “Arresting a journalist and seizing his camera is a clear abuse of power by the RCMP, that they think they can get away with. We hope to prove them wrong.”

Canada.com has requested comment from RCMP in New Brunswick and will update this story when they respond. RCMP at the local detachment told us they were told to forward calls to the central communications officers in Fredericton.

According to Barrera, Howe was released around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday evening, about four hours after his arrest. According to a researcher at the Media Co-op, he has been charged.

Hey everyone, @MilesHowe is out, he does have charges but no conditions. Thanks for your support today.

Earlier in the day, Halifax Media Co-op editor Ben Sichel spoke with RCMP and was told Howe would not be released. He quoted an officer from the professional standards department, saying: “There must have been a reason for his arrest.”

If police seized the reporter’s camera, as is alleged, that would catch the attention of national free speech organization PEN Canada. That organization began a national campaign last month to fight for the rights of public photography and the rights of journalists to record in public spaces.

In that campaign, the group asserted:

A police officer does not have the right to confiscate cameras or recording equipment (including phones), unless the person in possession of such equipment is under arrest and such equipment is necessarily relevant to the alleged offence. A police officer cannot force anyone to show, unlock or decrypt cameras or recording equipment, or to delete images, even when that person is under arrest, unless the police officer has a warrant or a court order permitting him to do so.

According to a release from Sacred Fire: The People United Against Fracking, Howe is the 30th person to be arrested at the Elsipogtog site.